2008-03-25
Poor guy. Son of Steve Earle and named after Townes Van Zandt. Doomed. And he was, early on, mirroring his dad's early flame out. But what we have here is personal, not political. Self-effacing, not self-aggrandizing. And amid all the famous people he's supposed to be, or to emulate, one reviewer mentions Hoagy Carmichael, the great jazz pianist and songwriter -- and I like that analogy here. Not because the songs are jazz-related, but because JTE's languid delivery of these mostly alt-country tunes bring Hoagy to my mind and ears (in fact, the bouncy "South Georgia" really cements the image). The record company touts the early songs of this set ("Who Am I to Say" does sound like the old man), but I think the record gets better as it progresses, with some gems near the finale. Well done, son. 03/08 MJVD F-Alt CountryVandaveer
Grace & Speed
GRANT PEEPLES AND THE PEEPLES REPUBLIC
Punishing The Myth
Seth Davis
Life Is Long
Ken Atkins & The Honky Tonk Kind
This Train
Jetty Rae
Blackberries
Jefferson Ross
Live At Hillbilly Haiku
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.